For the first ten years of his marriage, Reb Yitzchok Meir of Gur (better known as Chiddushei HaRim), was supported by his father-in-law, who wanted him to spend his entire day studying Torah. But then his father-in-law lost all his money and the family was left poverty-stricken. Nonetheless, Reb Yitzchok Meir continued studying Torah as before.
Once his wife asked him how he managed to sit undisturbed, free of any worry about their situation. Reb Yitzchok Meir answered, "Your father chose me for a son-in-law as an ilui, a person who can learn in one day what takes others a year to learn. Similarly, with regard to worrying: what takes others over three days to worry about, I can accomplish in one minute!" The young rebbetzin had a question: "But what do you accomplish with your one minute of worrying?"
He answered with a question: "And what does three days of worrying accomplish? There is no place for any of this, for everything HaShem does is for the best."
A short time later, his brother, moved to town and hired him as his financial secretary. And that was how Reb Yitzchok Meir supported his family until one day he was appointed as a rov in Warsaw.
Fixed Wages
Rav Tachlifa taught: "All of a person's provisions are preordained for him during the days of Rosh HaShanah through Yom Kippur, except for the expenses of Shabbos and Yom-Tov, and the fees for his children's chinuch. If one spends less on these expenses, he is provided with less, and if one spends more, he is provided with more."
A man complained to Reb Meir of Premishlan: "Someone is taking away my parnasa!" "When a horse lowers its head to drink from a river," Reb Meir told him, "he stamps his hooves. Why? Seeing another horse reflected in the water, he becomes envious and angry, so he stamps at the other horse: he doesn't want it to drink up his water! You, however, surely understand that there is enough water for many horses. As our chachomim have said, no individual ever takes away from the livelihood that has been preordained for another."
Full Support
The Tzemach Tzedek writes that since the amount that a person will earn has already been set for him, he should not waste his time on extra work. Rather he should work only as much as necessary to earn the amount he needs to live at the time being, and trust in HaShem Who will provide for him in the future.
How does a Yiddishe farmer go about producing a harvest? Chazal tell us that "he places his trust in the Life of all the worlds – and sows." The Rebbe explains that though the farmer knows that planting a seed in the ground will bring growth, he nevertheless realizes that this process is not automatic: it is being orchestrated by HaShem alone.
